I saw dozens of incredible gigs in my first few years after arriving in New York. Certainly some of the early [b]CBGBs[/b] gigs were incredible. But [b]The Clash[/b] took this kind of back-room stuff to a whole other level. When they first came over to America and announced that they were playing the Palladium, everyone thought that this was a monumental act of hubris. The Palladium was a huge, sit-down venue that didn’t seem intimate for the music that The Clash made. But I remember them just incinerating the place.

I understand much later that everyone was there, or claimed to be there – [b]Lester Bangs, Andy Warhol, Springsteen, Paul Simon, Robert De Niro[/b]. I wasn’t aware of that at the time, just the whole crowd on their seats and they seemed to stay there for two hours. I walked away completely invigorated and enthused. They were so good, and on such a bigger level than anyone that we were into had attained at that point.

I hope I’m not just romanticising this because I’ve just seen the [b]Julien Temple[/b] film about Joe, which I loved. But the gig was incredible. Paul and Joe were pogoing around the stage, using every square inch of space, Joe snarling and screaming and leering. Everything seemed faster and louder and meaner than anything I’d heard before.

*****

plus [b]WERE YOU THERE?[/b]

Not even [b]UNCUT[/b]s war-weary gig-hounds have been to every great show in history – but you lot probably have.

Email Allan_Jones@ipcmedia.com, or [b]share your memories[/b] in the comments box below, of the ones we might have missed, and we’ll publish the best in a future issue!